How does this fix the problem of being unable to pitch something we don't own?

Because we are not selling the game.

We are selling the idea of them buying the game from those that own it.

I noticed a few saying they were not sure what to write, well, here's a few points you might want to think about for ideas, if it helps:

1. Tell them not only how much you love the game, but also how much you have spent on it over the years, including each month of subscription, plus the extra packs and points many of you will have bought, and tell them how much longer you'd like to keep subscribing and paying.

2. Tell them why CoH is a game anyone, but especially Disney should be proud to own, and don't be afraid to mention how cool it would be if you could buy iconic Marvel costume pieces at last because an owner now didn't have to worry about legal issues of ownership.

3. How about mentioning how diverse and unique the game is. That you can create any character from virtually any genre, so you could make characters that paid homage to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Storm of the X-Men, The agent from the Hitman games, Robin Hood, Rambo, Van Helsing, and The Terminator, and put them all in a team together playing in the style of any of those genres, or others.

4. Tell them how many hours you've played for, or what average hours a week you spend in game. Disney, like most companies spend a fortune to put advertising in front of your eyes for just seconds, and here's something they could have your attention on for hours a week, where we'd be quite happy to see some Disney movie posters at the cinemas, etc.

I'm in. I'll pass the word to my friends and family who play and get them to write as well. We're a multigenerational bunch ranging from 16 to 66 years old (seriously, I got my mother to play and she cried over the announcement). Disney will be hearing from my husband, my brother, my mother, my best friend, my goddaughter, and me.

I'll also pass the word over globals in server broadcast until the very end.

IF they did anything with cross-marketing, I would expect weekly updates of the theater marquees and billboards in game, and MAYBE Portal mishes across universes, or something like an SSA. Those you could take or leave, and they'd have no particular relevance to the CoH lore.

And this has already occurred in games in general; it's something I could live with if it meant CoH stayed alive. If I had to rampage one of my red-siders through Cap Au and see a Star Wars billboard on a theater sign in lights, I could live with that. It might even be kind of cool.

As far as cross-universe Portal missions, it's really not that far out of bounds for CoH anyway. You're talking about a MMO that loaded down heavy with pop culture references, even among its peers in the industry. Something like Portal, which goes to enough crazy places as it is, conceptually I don't see this as a big deal.

And this has already occurred in games in general; it's something I could live with if it meant CoH stayed alive. If I had to rampage one of my red-siders through Cap Au and see a Star Wars billboard on a theater sign in lights, I could live with that. It might even be kind of cool.

IF this came about, I can even see the billboards as not directly referencing a movie, but the iconic characters in it. Say "Tow-Mater's Roadside Assistance" or "Cruella DeVille's Puppy-sitting Service." Think what a gas it would be for the Disney artists to design those!

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I will go down with this ship. I won't put my hands up in surrender. There will be no white flag above my door. I'm in love, and always will be. Dido

No matter what happens, the Save/Buy COH campaign now has a beautifully written sales pitch, with some very pertinent facts and figures, case studies and information, which can be busted out quickly to any interested parties.

We know it's a million-to-one-shot, but even if Disney aren't interested, the document is something that can be tweaked, re-written and re-angled. If there's a studio or group out there who've been looking into COH and wanted a bit more info about the game, the type of people who play it, and if it's something they should be interested in considering, it's ready and waiting.

The package itself can only be an asset to the campaign whatever happens with Disney.

But I think if we make enough noise, I think we will get their attention. And they may look at it, and consider it. Which is more than will happen if we hadn't written it, hadn't got it sent, and hadn't asked them for help, and had the backing from a bunch of wonderful people.

And really, the only thing you have to lose is the price of a couple stamps, and a few bits of paper. So..hell, why not?

I will write my letters in the morning when my brain is fully functional again, and my kiddo will get started on hers after school tomorrow (she's actually a very good writer for her age). Would it be helpful for her to include copies of stories she's written about her character (This is how she's dealt with the shutdown. She figures if she can't play her character anymore, she can still write about her.)?

ANYTHING that shows creativity and makes the letter personal is a plus. Let her plead that she wants to be able to PLAY her characters again, not just write about them.

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I will go down with this ship. I won't put my hands up in surrender. There will be no white flag above my door. I'm in love, and always will be. Dido

And really, the only thing you have to lose is the price of a couple stamps, and a few bits of paper. So..hell, why not?

Just FYI, I'm in it for too-many-hours of writing the package (when I could have been playing the last days and /demorecording my girls), printing, realizing I forgot to delete one of the comments (ARG!), printing again, plus $54 of Express Mail postage. All because, you know, it might work.

Notice what he's in charge of? GLOBAL PRODUCTION for Disney Interactive. All you Brits, Germans, French---remember you used to have DEDICATED SERVERS? Start writing! Get your family and friends to write! Show Disney this is a GLOBAL market!

« Last Edit: November 26, 2012, 10:42:06 AM by Victoria Victrix »

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I will go down with this ship. I won't put my hands up in surrender. There will be no white flag above my door. I'm in love, and always will be. Dido

I have some concerns about the possibility of mixing universes, mainly because I think one of the strengths of CoH has been that it was always independent and never beholden to an external IP, which also encouraged players to create their own original characters. But that's pretty much my only concern, and that can all be worked out later. One of the advantages of having a game set in the modern world is that references like posters for Disney films at a cinema in Paragon City don't break the suspension of disbelief.

To me, the best news here is that -- once they decide they want one -- Disney knows how to take care of an IP. And they understand the value of preserving a fictional world. Their parks are more than just a collection of rides; the look and feel of everything is engineered to be part of the experience, and every interaction between staff and customer is important. I'd think folks like this would understand that CoH is more than just a collection of missions -- putting value on the world, the story, and especially the players.

I'll be sending my letters from the UK this week. My partner just informed me she and our daughter will be writing as well. I expect theirs will be something to the effect of, "Please buy this game so he will SHUT UP about how nothing else is as good as CoH."

I'll write them a mini-novel if you want. Hell, I'll write a cross over between a Disney world and City of Heroes. Whatever it takes to get the point across that it has potential. Actually that wouldn't even be hard, considering the whole alternate dimension and time travel aspect of CoH, and the fact that a number of Disney villains have been powerful magic users in their own right.

BUT, and I am sure this is something that you're taking into account, this has to go beyond just the Save CoH and Official Boards. Its late in the game, and a lot of people have given up. You're going to have to pitch this everywhere you can, to anyone who might have strayed and to anyone who might have a sympathetic ear.

Did the pitch mention the possibility of using the COH characters in things OTHER than the game?

Imagine a Pixar-style version of City of Heroes movie ... or a television series set in the past with Lil Liberty and her Grampa Statesman taking on evil Uncle Recluse with Lil Liberty trying to make him see the light.

VicVic, not sure if you remember me or the old SG I used to be a part of, but we did some stuff with you guys a while back. I haven't played CoH in over a year and I was still saddened with the announcement of it closing. That said, I'm going to write letters and I'm passing this along to other friends who have played as well.

I suppose we expected to be able to come back some day, and we'd like to preserve that possibility.

I'm not sure what I think about Disney running it either but its way better than losing the city.

I am also sure going to support any and every effort you guys (team wildcard, Titan team, Victoria V) are making. And thanks for trying and working so hard

One of the benefits of Disney is that they are traditionally very good stewards of the properties they obtain. Sure they are a monolithic corporate juggernaut but, very few franchises have suffered from association with them.

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As long as somebody keeps making up stories for it, the City isn't gone.

Did the pitch mention the possibility of using the COH characters in things OTHER than the game?

Imagine a Pixar-style version of City of Heroes movie ... or a television series set in the past with Lil Liberty and her Grampa Statesman taking on evil Uncle Recluse with Lil Liberty trying to make him see the light.

BUT, and I am sure this is something that you're taking into account, this has to go beyond just the Save CoH and Official Boards. Its late in the game, and a lot of people have given up. You're going to have to pitch this everywhere you can, to anyone who might have strayed and to anyone who might have a sympathetic ear.

As a big thank you for all their support, we gave Starburst and Massively the press release for this project on Friday, and hopefully they will have something published soon.

I'll be sending out a press release to every gaming website/magazine/blog I've been able to get contact details on tomorrow afternoon. I just wanted Disney to have the chance for a pair of eyes to get on the package, rather than have someone read about it in the press and go 'uh..whut?'

To that end, if you're a blogger, writer, journalist etc., and you want a copy of the release, drop me a PM